Raj Koothrappali's character was inspired by an Indian man I met on a flight, reveals Kunal Nayyar

Having traded the comfort of his home to chase his dream of making it big as an actor at the age of 18, Kunal Nayyar's story is nothing short of the many movies and television shows he's been a part of.

Fondly remembered for playing the character of a certain geeky astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali in CBS' popular sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, Nayyar has come a long way from being the teenager who packed his bags and flew to a an alien land with just his ambition and hard work for loyal companions.

In a recent interview with British Airways, Nayyar opened up about the imperative role his parents had in his success and how being on his own helped him grow as an individual.

"My parents really inspired me to leave home. I think they found it was very good for me to grow as a human being. And I wasn't scared as much as I was excited, to be honest. I was 18 and I was going to a new country," the interview has him say.

Nayyar then goes on to elucidate on how with him being selected for Koothrappali's character being revealed only after six weeks, his nervousness--understandably--knew no bounds. With flickering hope and expectations, there was one thing that remained concrete. His parent's perpetual and unconditional support.

".. they were present throughout those six weeks every day when I was calling them and freaking out."

But when the big day did arrive, he called them at 3:30 am in the morning and weeped to his heart's content. Recalling that very special phone call, Nayyar says, "I am just weeping, just crying, because this meant so much to me to be this kid from New Delhi, India, who made it onto the big screen. And they really thought something was wrong because I'm crying. I told them I got the role and everyone was crying at the same time. It was very special."

But according to Nayyar it wasn't just his parents, but also his travel escapades that enabled him to become who he is today. In fact, one such meeting inspired Koothrappali's character.

"All the time you meet people while I'm travelling and flying that inspire characters. I once met an elderly Indian gentleman once on a plane who spoke in half-sentences. That was something I later used for Raj," Nayyar said.

The actor who was third on 2015's list of World's Highest Paid TV Actors with earnings of USD 20 million, now wishes to be the first Indian Doctor Who--something we don't mind one bit.

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